A New Duck: Zane Flighter
by youcantkillaliar
Summary: Zane Flighter is from the rough part of town in Chino, California. Hockey is the only stable thing in her life what with her abusive father and almost shellofawoman mother. This is the story of Zane and her experience with the Ducks.
1. Chapter 1

**Ken Wu has decided to once again take up figure skating and has left Eden Hall to continue training. Try-outs are being held to fill his spot. This is the story of Zane Flighter and her time with the Ducks.**

I was wearing my black Gladiators jersey with all my gear. Here I was in Minnesota, far from my home in California. My father was at my side, screaming at me to tie my skates up faster. A hit to my face let me know I'd better hurry up. People around us stared; my drunk of a father tends to always gather a lot of attention. My mother sat dejectedly on my left, not speaking or acknowledging what was going on. The best way to classify my mother is to think of an empty shell; years of being married to my father have left her indifferent to the world. The Ducks were looking up at me with pity in their eyes; they'd seen him strike me. I guess their Coach had brought them out here to watch us.

"Get out there," My father slurred, pushing me roughly out onto the ice.

I skated up to the Coach, who was wearing a whistle around his neck.

"I'm Zane Flighter," I told him.

He introduced himself as Coach Orion and scanned the list for my name. There were twenty of us all vying for Ken's spot. We'd been scouted by Eden Hall and were brought out here to see who had the most potential on the team. All of us here had heard of the Ducks and had followed them during the Junior Goodwill Games; they were famous to every teenage hockey player in America. Most of the others were from a lot closer than I was; they would be trying out at as many schools as they could within the summer. Me, though, this was my only shot.

"Warm up a bit then grab a puck and line up with the others; we're testing for speed and puck control."

Nodding, I decided to skate a few laps to get my legs warm. My skates dug deep into the ice and I rotated from skating frontward to backward with ease. Hockey has been my life ever since I was little. I needed this team; I needed to get away from my father and I wasn't going anywhere in Chino. Chino is like the slums of California, but it raised my friends and me tough; I really wish they could be here with me now.

The whistle sounded, marking the end of warm up and we all retrieved a puck and headed to the line. We were told that we would be doing a series of sprints with the person coming in last being eliminated to determine the fastest; a devilish smile came across my lips, as I'm known for my speed and puck handling, hence why I am a forward. In the end, it was me and another boy and I smoked him easy; he had speed but no stamina. I shook my head in disgust, hadn't they scouted some real competition?

"Penalty shots, three chances each," Coach Orion instructed us.

If there is one thing my Coach back home can't stand its how I toy around. My first shot, I made a mockery out of the goalie by completely faking him out; he had thought I'd shot when truly I hadn't, so I swiped it in easily. The second two I took seriously once I saw Coach Orion give me a look, easily sweeping them past into the net. Cheers erupted from the Ducks; they were cheering for those that they believed would be best for the team. So far, I could tell I was in the running. Our next challenge was a miniature scrimmage. There were four teams of five and two scrimmages going on at once. I was doing fine until I felt someone's stick hook my skate and purposefully knock me down. This is illegal in hockey and quite frankly a pretty cheap shot. Before my opponent even thought I was up off the floor, I had my gloves off and was in his face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing asshole?" I shouted and sent him sprawling to the ice.

I skated toward him, ready to deliver a few punches when the whistle sounded.

"Enough!" Coach Orion's voice barked out.

Everything froze and silence took over the ice. The Ducks had risen from their seats and were watching the scene.

"Break it up," Orion told us, his icy eyes glaring into me, "Get some ice for that eye."

I tried to tell Coach that my eye had been black before today, but his gaze made me change my mind. Picking up my gloves and helmet, I stepped off the ice and made my way over to the cooler to grab a pack of ice. To my luck, the cooler was directly next to the Ducks and it was really awkward.

One of them spoke up, "Don't worry about it; Coach Orion won't drop you because of a fight."

"Good because it wasn't my fault anyway," I responded, taking a swig out of my water jug.

The sound of footsteps echoed from above and I saw my father stumbling down.

"What in the hell are you doin'? Get back out there!" My father yelled.

I simply rolled my eyes and threw the icepack onto the bleachers, muttering curses about my father as I stepped out onto the ice. A grin found its way to my lips; my father's idiotic behavior sometimes makes me laugh, especially since he'd given me the black eye. Don't ask me why I laugh at things like that; my friends say it's just the best way to deal with it. I skated quickly around the rink once to get my legs warm once again before joining back in with the team I was scrimmaging. The whistle sounded about five minutes later and I hoped that my little ice break wouldn't affect my standing.

"Alright, you guys can go get showered and changed," Coach Orion told us, "I will tell you the result in about an hour."

Throughout the entire time it took me to grab a shower, blow-dry my long, blonde hair, and change into my jeans and wife-beater, my mind was on whether or not I would make the team. Man, did I need this. The thought of my mother haunted me; would she be okay with my father on her own? He didn't normally hit her, but he did call her things that could make even me cringe. Still, he did hit me pretty often and I knew I needed out. My heart was racing as I walked out of the locker room. Deciding the pressure was a lot to take and that I had a little bit of time before the person was announced, I dipped outside to grab a cigarette. Yeah, I know it's terrible for me but it's my life so back off.

"Well, that's amazing that you're so fast, yet you smoke," A voice from behind me said.

I turned and came face to face with the voice and realized it was Portman, one of the Bash Brothers.

"Gunna go tell your coach on me?" I taunted.

"No," He continued, "I'm Dean, just thought I'd offer my future teammate a hello."

"I'm Zane, but don't get my hopes up."

"Weird name, but I'm not getting your hopes up. Coach just called your name and I was sent to find you."

"Shit," I said, quickly stubbing out my cigarette, "Are you serious?"

Dean nodded and I quickly ran inside with him on my heels. All eyes were on me; a couple of the girls who had tried out were crying and a few of the boys were trying not to.

"Congratulations, Zane." Coach Orion told me.

All I could do was smile as the Ducks cheered; I suppose they were happy with the choice. My father came up and slapped me on the back, and I think everyone noticed it was a little hard as I stumbled a few steps.

"What'd I tell you?" My father slurred to Coach," The tryouts weren't necessary, my kids got it all."

My gaze fell to the ice and I felt my ears turn red in embarrassment.

"Nice job, honey," My mother told me as she gave me a hug, her voice barely above a whisper as it always was.

"Thanks Ma," I responded, "You're gunna be okay."

"You can grab your bags out of your car and move in with Connie and Julie," Coach instructed me, giving my father a strange look.

"Sure thing, Coach," I added, smiling at the man.

It didn't take long for my stuff to be unloaded and put inside my new room, which was actually pretty nice. My family didn't have much, but that's okay with me. Julie and Connie introduced themselves to my parents out of politeness and I walked out to the car with my parents out of politeness for Julie and Connie; they didn't need to see this. My mother gave me another hug and a kiss on the cheek before she went back to her seat in the pickup truck; she knew what was about to come. Hell, so did I.

"I swear to god, you mess this up and you'll with you were never born, kid," he started in.

"I ain't gunna mess it up, pop," I told him.

This wasn't enough for him. I knew he'd bruised a couple of my ribs and that I had a gash on my face and a fat lip. He needed to beat on me one more time, since he wouldn't see me for a few months. Inside, I wished I never had to see him again. I situated myself on the curb so that the blood could stop pouring out of my face. A cigarette once again found itself to my lips and I took a shaky inhale.

"Asshole," I said as I watched the pickup disappear and fade away.

"Smoking again? Coach won't appreciate this," I heard the oh-so-familiar voice of Dean Portman behind me once again.

When I turned around, I saw the smile on Dean's, Charlie's, Fulton's, and Banks' faces slip into frowns; Dean's comment wasn't too funny any more once that saw my face.

"What the hell happened to you?" Charlie asked, clearly outraged.

"I fell," I snapped, daring him to question it.

"But..." Banks started.

"Look," I told them more gently this time, "It's over. Drop it, alright?"

The boys all continued to stare at me and I sighed deeply. In Chino, no one takes roughing your kid up as a big deal. Just goes to show you that the times are different everywhere.

"We're going to get pizza down the street with the rest of the team. We want you to come so we can get to know you. Are you up for it?" Charlie asked, changing the subject.

I shot them a smile and told them I was down.

'**Things are going to be different now. I can feel it.'**

**END OF CHAPTER.**

**Alright there you do. It's a starter chapter so it had to be full of drama and such. Review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the review on the chapter Tudy.**

**CHAPTER 2:**

I woke up to the beeping of my alarm clock. It read 6:00 AM and I couldn't help but groan.

"So much for sleeping all afternoon in the summers," I grumbled.

Julie and Connie laughed at my comment and we all managed to drag ourselves out of bed. Last night at the pizza place had been fun, but staying out till midnight was taking a toll on my energy level right now. The three of us headed to the bathroom together to brush our teeth, wash our face, put our hair up, etc. It was pretty obvious to me that the three of us would get along. After all, we were really outnumbered by the boys and would need to stick up for each other. In fact, I was pretty sure that I wouldn't have problems with anyone; even Banks who has such a different background from me. On our way out of the women's bathroom, we spotted Dean and Fulton trudging into the men's in just their boxers; if they didn't hurry they were going to be late.

"I swear," Julie stated, "Those two never wake up on time."

Grabbing our bags full of gear, we headed off to the rink locker rooms to get ready for our full day of practices. Most people would see waking up at the crack of dawn to play hockey as a negative thing about their life, but there is nothing I would rather do; I live for hockey. For the next few hours we practiced. We had an hour lunch break, where we all crammed down some fruit for energy and went back to it. By the end of the day, we were all exhausted but happy; I worked well with the team and Coach Orion thought I was a good addition. We all hit our respective locker rooms and I peeled off my sweaty clothes and let the warm water wash over my sore muscles. Once I was done, I dressed in a pair of tight jeans, sneakers, and a fitted T-shirt before meeting with the team to go to dinner.

"You did great today, Zane," Charlie told me, fulfilling his captain role.

"Thanks a lot. You guys aren't half bad either," I replied.

As we were leaving the rink, I was surprised to hear Coach Orion stop me and he asked if I would have a chat with him in his office. Not knowing what it was about, I followed my coach into a room which had trophies and pictures of his previous teams.

"There's no easy way for me to say this," Coach Orion started, "but I noticed the new bruises on your face and how you were shying away from the puck a bit today like your abdomen was hurt; I was just wondering if there was anything you would like to talk about."

Busted, but I played it cool. You'd be crazy if you thought this was the first time someone had brought up the injuries I often had displayed on my body. I told Coach thanks for his concern, but if I ever had a real problem I would come to him. He sighed, just like everyone else I'd fed these avoidances to and looked on at me in worry.

"Really, I'm fine; just some hockey injuries," I said.

He knew we weren't going to get anywhere and told me his door was always open. On my way out, however, he told me to go see the trainer to get my ribs taped.

"Hello, you must be the new addition to our Eden Hall JV team," the trainer said to me, reaching out his hand for me to shake.

I took my hand in his, lightly shook it, and introduced myself. Portman was in the training room as well; he was icing his ankle which he'd rolled at practice.

"Well, what can I do for you today?" Tyler, as he told me to call him, asked.

"Coach wants me to get my ribs taped up."

Tyler said alright and asked me to show him the damage. I lifted up my shirt and came face to face with the bruises that had appeared overnight.

'**Shit, it's a little worse then I thought.'**

"Well, I'll be darned. First day out there and you already got yourself pretty banged up. Nothing a little tape won't help, and I want you to take it easy the next few days."

I laughed uneasily, "Yeah it's pretty rough out there."

Portman was staring intently at me, switching his gaze from my ribs to my eyes. I looked away awkwardly and felt Tyler pull me down on a table before surrounding us with a curtain for some privacy while he taped me up. Tyler was real good at taping and my ribs fell back into place easily. After a good fifteen minutes, he told Portman and I that we were set and could head off to dinner.

"Hockey injuries, huh?" Portman asked me on the way over, "Funny, because I don't remember you getting hit that hard today."

I grabbed his arm lightly and made him stop walking.

"You just keep this to yourself, alright?" I asked harshly, "I don't need the team knowing about my ribs."

"Your dad's not allowed to do that to you," Dean told me stubbornly.

"I don't see him anywhere," I responded, equally as stubborn.

"You're tough," he stated, "I like that."

I rolled my eyes at his comment and made Dean promise he wouldn't tell anyone, even Fulton. Everyone was already talking about my face; I didn't need them to know the whole story. Portman swore he would keep it to himself. A five minute walk led us to the cafeteria and Dean showed me the ropes of the lunch line.

"You see that line over there?" Dean questioned and I nodded, "It's Leftover Line. Steer as far away from that as possible."

I laughed at this and told him I'd be sure to keep away.

"Now, what'd coach want to talk to ya about, darlin'?" Dwayne asked me in his stupid cowpoke language.

"Just hockey stuff," I replied easily, catching Portman raise his eyebrows slightly.

Giving him a glare, I told Dwayne and the rest of the team that Coach had wanted to about my previous team and training. The lies flowed so easily out of my mouth and I felt real bad about lying to my team about this stuff, but it wasn't Chino here. These kids were not all coming from the same type of environment I was. In Chino, you could talk about knocked around by your dad and most adults and other kids wouldn't bat an eyelash to it. Here, however, I had already had an altercation about it with my coach and teammates. In Minnesota, my father's actions towards me were something I would have to keep to myself. If only I could have heard what Dean was telling Fulton in their dorm room later that night.

"Remember her face yesterday once her dad left?" Dean asked his pal.

"Yeah, man, but it was pretty obvious he wasn't the best dad before that. You saw him pushing her around at tryouts," Fulton answered.

Portman then continued to explain what had happened in the trainer's room. When he had promised Zane that he wouldn't tell anyone, he had obviously meant everybody but Fulton. Hell, him and Fulton were like brothers; they told teach other everything.

"Damn, are you serious?" Fulton shockingly said.

Portman nodded and Fulton stated that it sounded pretty rough. Fulton laughed and told Portman to stop drooling over Zane.

"Shut it, man, I'm not drooling!"

"Please, she's fresh meat; we're all checking her out. Plus, she's pretty hot. I mean that blonde hair and the tan. California is where it's at in the girl department," Fulton concluded.

"Yeah, she is pretty smoking," Portman agreed.

**Boys, boys, boys, will you ever learn?**

**END OF CHAPTER.**

**  
So obviously there is going to be a romance between Portman and Zane (It's pretty obvious right?), but I am going to ease into it so let's not get our hopes up. I like writing this fic for the Mighty Ducks, but I feel like it's really difficult to get all of the Ducks into the story; any help with that would be greatly appreciated. Reviews in general would help, thanks. **


	3. Chapter 3

It was Saturday before Coach Orion finally gave us a day off.

"You have off for tomorrow, but Monday morning you guys better be ready to work. Remember, the choices you make can effect your entire team," Coach warned.

I rolled my eyes. Coaches always try to spoil the fun by telling us to watch what we do. I'm a teenager; let me have some fun.

"You guys wanna head over to the Baron tonight?" Connie asked us all as we walked out of the laundry room after practice.

"What's the Baron?" I asked interestedly.

I was told the Baron was like a dance club. In Chino, I had spent many a night dancing into the wee hours of the night with my friends. To be honest, I was really excited for tonight.

"Anyone trying to have a little more fun before?" Russ questioned, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Drinking had never been a topic brought up in front of me before at Eden Hall. In truth, I didn't know who on my team drank and who didn't. Obviously some of us were going to drink; we are young after all! Most of my teammates raised their hands in agreement, while some didn't. Whether they wanted to be drunk or sober didn't matter much to me; it's a personal choice.

"Well if you're interested, my room at ten o'clock. If you're not, my room eleven o'clock," Russ reasoned simply.

This seemed like a very normal thing, as everyone nodded in agreement and didn't make it a big deal. I really liked that this team was so close; hopefully I'll become a part of them as well. Connie, Julie, and I bid the boys farewell as we headed into our room to get ready. It was already eight thirty, so we needed to take showers and get ready. By around nine, we had all showered and blown our hair dry. Now was the fun part: doing hair and makeup and picking out the perfect outfit. To my surprise, neither Julie nor Connie had a hair straightener.

"I don't need one," Julie said with a shrug, while Connie explained that she would be curling her hair tonight.

My long blonde hair cascaded around my shoulders as I ran the hot iron through it. My hair was naturally straight, but whenever I went out I spent a little bit more time on it. I situated my side bangs and made sure my part looked alright. Makeup was next and I lightly brushed foundation on my face, followed by a little bronzer to even it out. Next, I lightly brushed golden eye shadow along my eyelids and then applied mascara; I'm not a big fan of eyeliner. When I turned to face my roommates, we all gushed at how each other looked. Hey, it's not everyday you see three tough hockey players going all out on their appearance.

"The boys are always shocked when they see us all dolled up," Connie laughed.

For wardrobe, Julie decided on a denim miniskirt and a polo, while Connie was wearing a pair of "daisy dukes" and a cute top.

"You're gunna be driving Guy crazy!" I teased.

My outfit consisted on a pair of low-rise, tight fitting jeans and a tanktop topped with a belt. The three of us crowded into the view of our full length mirror.

"Damn girls, we look good," Julie said, causing the three of us to burst out in laughter.

The ringing of Connie's cell phone lurched us out of our laughter and we heard her telling Russ that we would be right up.

"You drinking?" Connie asked me offhandedly.

"Hell yeah," I responded.

I have been drinking since I was about fourteen. It's not too much of a big deal for me or my friends; just as long as we don't end up like our parents. On our way up, Julie explained to me who usually drank and who didn't.

"Guy and Connie switch off and on. Averman hardly touches the stuff; says he has no taste for it. Goldberg won't; his grandfather had problems with it so he swore it off. The rest, though, normally will."

I nodded at the information, and we knocked on Russ and Dwayne's door.

"Ladies," Dwayne welcomed us as we stepped in.

We all gave him a greeting and I couldn't help but laugh at the scene that unfolded in front of me. Two full bottles of vodka, a bunch of shot glasses, sodas for chasers, two six-packs, and a bunch of eager looking Ducks sat in front of me.

"Well you all sure know how to do it," I said, nodding in my head in approval.

"Who wants first?" Russ questioned, wanting to get it started.

"Zane gets to do the first one, alone; new member initiation," Charlie stated.

The team grinned and I casually walked over to the bottle and poured myself a shot and grabbed a soda. Raising it into the air, I told the group that this was to a good season. Amid their hollers, I took the shot. A few seconds after, I popped open the soda and chased it easily. I hadn't drank since the night before I'd left for Eden Hall and it felt good to be back at it. After that, it was pretty much open drinks; you stepped up whenever you wanted in for a round. Guy came into the room after about twenty minutes to make sure Connie didn't drink too much. By eleven, everybody had reached their desired state, and we headed off to the Baron. Luckily, it was only a few blocks away, for we were walking and some better than others. Personally, I had gotten drunk; it's the best way to have fun at a dance club. Fulton was plastered as well; the two of us were walking arm in arm and talking nonsense. Alcohol really does help out with the team bonding.

"We're here. Welcome to the Baron, Zane," Adam told me, patting me on the back.

The club had a pretty nice set-up: a big dance floor, a few sections of couches, a good DJ, and a lot of people. Tonight was going to be good. Julie grabbed both mine and Connie's hands and we descended to the dance floor; girls ALWAYS dance together at clubs. I don't know if it's because of where I'm from, but I noticed I got down a lot more than Connie or Julie. Don't get me wrong, they weren't bad dancers, but I guess you could say I was a little more risqué. The boys walked over to us after the first song and Luis grabbed my hand.

"You got some moves, Zane, wanna dance?" He asked confidently.

I smiled and nodded; Luis and I both have some Columbian in us so I knew he would be a good dancer. We moved together to the music and I could hear people in the crowd cheering for us. Luis' hands were on my waist and we were grinding.

"Tu mueve realmente bien," He shouted over the music, saying that I move really well.

"¿Si? Gracias, papi," I thanked him, using my Spanish tongue.

Both of our mothers were from Spanish parentage, and we sometimes spoke in Spanish, as we were used to it at home.

"What the hell are you guys saying?" Guy asked us from where he was dancing with Connie.

I smiled devilishly and refused to tell him. Dean grabbed me and we both swayed to the music while he tried to convince me. All I could do was smile at his antics.

"I said I loved her!" Luis finally yelled, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Giving him a little look, Luis winked at me and the two of us cracked up laughing. The rest of the night was spent dancing and just having a good time. A few times, my protective male teammates allowed me to dance with a guy that wasn't a part of our team. Around two, some of the team left to go home. A four, all that remained were Julie, Luis, Charlie, Fulton, Portman, and I; at home we usually didn't go home till dawn. Most of us were ready to go, but I noticed that Julie was talking to a guy that she had met here a couple of weeks ago and I offered to stay with her; Portman and Fulton agreed to stay with us to make sure we were alright.

"Be safe," Charlie slurred, giving me a drunken hug as he and Luis left out into the night.

A girl asked Fulton to dance and Dean gave me a questioning look.

"Sure," I responded.

Grabbing Dean's hand I led him out onto the dance floor. I put my arms around my neck and we got into rhythm with the reggaeton song that was playing. It was a song I recognized, so I mouthed the words.

"I didn't know you could actually speak Spanish," Dean remarked and I explained that my mother often spoke it to me.

"I like it," Dean told me, flashing me his trademark smile.

It was pretty obvious that most of the girls at Eden Hall found Dean Portman good looking. Hell, he was. His confidence and slight swagger made it apparent that girls often threw themselves at him. His bad boy image was also something that I found appealing. Then again, this could just be the booze talking. Dean placed his hand under my chin and made me look up at him. For a few moments, we stared at each other, until we were interrupted by Fulton.

"Hey, I think it might be time to get Julie home," Fulton explained, pointing over at a very drunk Cat-Lady.

I quickly released myself from Dean's grasp and ran over to Julie. She wasn't in the best state, but it's not like I was fearing for her life or anything either. What she needed was a warm bed to pass out in.

"Let's get you home, huh sweetheart?" I gently coaxed.

Julie nodded and I looked over at the Bash Brothers for help; Julie's no heavyweight, but I sure as hell couldn't lug her home. Fulton took the job and linked his arm with the girl to keep her steady. Dean then offered me his and I took it while rolling my eyes. It only took a couple of minutes to make the walk to Eden Hall and Julie was giggling incessantly over something Fulton had said. All I could was laugh at her antics; after all, I'd been there too. On the way home, Dean had subtly linked his hand with mine. I'd let it happen; holding hands never killed anybody. The boys helped me get Julie up to our room and into bed.

"I'm sure she'll be thanking you guys in the morning," I said to the two.

Fulton shot me his catlike grin, "She better! I lugged her ass home five blocks."

We laughed at this and Fulton gave me a burly hug goodnight. Next, Dean hugged me as well and also placed a kiss on my cheek. A slight tint rose to my cheeks and I prayed it wasn't visible in the light or that Dean was too far gone to realize it.

"Love the blush," Dean said smirking.

"Asshole," I replied before stepping back into my room.

Tomorrow would bring on a heavy hangover and I couldn't help but hate myself a little bit for it. Still, this night had been worth it; I felt closer to the Ducks and more like a member of their team. There had been chemistry there with Dean too.

'**Stop it. You're not here to meet anyone, you're here to play hockey. Besides, you promised yourself no more bad boys with a lady killer reputation.'**

Dean had made it to his dorm and was drunkenly telling Fulton that he has a thing for Zane.

"Do you think she liked me?" Dean asked.

"Seemed like it," Fulton responded, "But let's see how the two of you feel tomorrow."

**END OF CHAPTER.**

**Hope you guys liked it. Not sure how you guys feel about teenage drinking, but I am sick of the Ducks being portrayed as Saints. They are TEENAGERS after all. As for the Spanish influence of this chapter; I am half Columbian and while I am not entirely fluent have grown up with it my entire life. Most of my stories have at least some mention of my culture. Hopefully, there's no problem with that. Review and let me know what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4:**

The next day I didn't wake up until noon. In truth, the only reason I woke up at all was a bunch of the guys came in and decided that we should face our hangovers.

"Leave me alone," I grumbled into my pillow.

I felt a bunch of bodies dog pile on top of me and I struggled for breath. My stomach curdled and I squirmed around trying to fend them off. After what felt like forever, they let me up and I walked over to the vanity. All I was wearing was a pair of short shorts and a wifebeater, so I felt just a tad exposed. Quickly, I pulled on my old Gladiators hoodie. Looking into the mirror, I laughed at the makeup that had smudged under my eyes. I fixed my eyes and threw my hair up into a messy bun.

"Anyone wanna go lay out and swim?" I asked, since my body was desperately missing the sun.

Julie groaned and told me the last thing she wanted to do was expose her pounding head to the sun. Some agreed with her, but the non-drinkers and the brave drinkers from last night agreed it was a good idea. Connie and I pulled our bathing suits out of drawers and ran into the bathroom to brush our teeth and change. My bathing suit was just a simple bikini, nothing special or too revealing. The bruises on my stomach were visible on my tanned stomach and I couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious.

'**Just tell them it was from hockey,' **I bluntly told myself.

Fifteen minutes later, Connie and I walked out to the pool and received catcalls from the boys. I shook my head at them before laying my towel out and allowing myself to soak up in the sun. This reminded me of Chino: go out and get drunk then lounge in the sun all day. My thoughts slipped away and I fell into a light sleep. Who knows how long I slept, but when I woke up my back was a deeper tan and I flipped over to do my stomach. Some of my teammates looked worriedly at my stomach but dismissed it as a hockey injury. It's not that uncommon to have bruises from the sport; Averman had a nice one on his leg.

"Aren't you ever gunna come in the water?" Goldberg yelled over to me.

"In a while, I'm tanning!" I yelled in return.

"You look tan enough to me," Goldberg shot back before belly flopping back into the water.

I am naturally tan, but I like the deep tan that I usually have thanks to the California weather and I was going to make sure I kept it until the harsh winters at Eden Hall. Placing my sunglasses on my face to keep the sun out of my eyes, I didn't see Dean come over to me; I sure did feel him though when he allowed his hair to drip onto me.

"Thanks," I said as I wiped my stomach off and sprayed more tanning oil on my body.

"You looked hot," Dean remarked as he plopped down next to me, "You have fun last night?"

I nodded and for a while we just talked. Dean would occasionally reach out and brush my arm or touch my hair, but I pretended like I didn't notice. He asked if my ribs felt okay and lightly brushed his hands over them and then reached for my hand.

"Ready to go in?" I asked as I stood up from my towel before he could reach my hand.

Dean looked at me very confused before shaking himself out of it and picking me up and throwing me into the water; I didn't mind a little flirting, but I was not going to fall for Dean Portman's charm.

"Thanks a ton!" I yelled as I splashed him playfully.

Soon all of the Ducks came splashing back in as well. Swimming in the pool was fun but I sure did miss the ocean.

"Do you surf?" Charlie asked interestedly.

"Yeah, everyone that lives on the coast pretty much does," I explained.

"You gotta show us sometime," Guy said.

I told them I would some day and the rest of our day was spent just lounging around. At about four, we all headed to the cafeteria for an early dinner. Julie joined us and looked better then she had this morning.

"Hangover gone now?" Russ teased the girl.

For dinner, I decided on a cheese burger and a salad; I liked to mix healthy food with greasy food. My stomach felt queasy when I saw how much some of our male ducks ate, particularly Goldberg, Fulton, and Portman.

"Jesus, you guys sure can put it away," I said.

"We're men what do you expect?" Fulton stated with his mouth full of fried chicken.

My laughter rang out at his behavior and I saw Dean shoot me a wink. All I did was smile in return and look away, but Julie nudged me from next to her and raised her eyebrows at me. Connie caught on and the two of them stood up abruptly. I gave them an incredulous look and felt myself being pulled up from the table and away from the pack.

"What is going on between you and Dean?" Connie asked as soon as we were out of earshot in the hallway.

I told the girls I had no idea what they were talking about, but Julie brought up the wink and how we were holding hands on the way home last night.

"I was drunk!" I retaliated.

"You should have seen them at the pool today, too," Connie joined in, "they were all over each other."

No one was letting me get a word in edgewise and might have helped if I had known Dean was going through the same thing in the cafeteria.

"Portman's got it bad!" Averman started, "Portman and Zane, Zane and Portman, Bash Brother and…"

"SHUT UP!" The Ducks yelled at Averman, who merely grinned sheepishly.

"Averman's right though, man," Russ spoke up, "You really are digging on Zane."

"She's hot, I'm just tryin' to get some," Portman said in his most manly voice.

"Yeah, that's not what you said last night," Fulton declared.

This resulted in a wrestling match between the two Bash Brothers. Sure, it was a joke, but their commotion had caught the eyes of the three girls.

"Well looks like it's time for another Bash Brawl," Connie said excitedly as she ran back over to her seat to catch a glimpse.

Julie and I grinned and walked back over to catch the action as well. Things were going pretty good at dinner until Connie's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Umm yeah she's right here," Connie said, handing me the phone and I looked at her stupidly before grabbing it out of her hand.

"Yeah?"

"It's Tyler," My brother's voice said over the receiver, "I've been calling you all day, you never answer your goddamn room phone and the school lines are closed for the summer. Dad hurt Mom really bad last night, worse then he ever did me or you. She's in the hospital.

"Jesus Christ," I said appalled, as my father had never gone that far, "is she going to be alright?"

Tyler told me she was going to be okay, but he had just wanted me to know what was going on.

"I should come home. Without me there, Ma doesn't have me to keep dad off of her."

"Shut it, kid," Tyler said, "You got a good thing going on there, and she would be even more depressed if you gave it up because of her. You're staying there. Besides, I'm gunna go pay the old man a visit tomorrow and set him straight."

We spoke for a few more moments before we hung up. My heart was in my throat and I felt sick; my mother never could stick up for herself. Anger surged through my body and swear words cascaded out of my mouth as I thought of my mother lying in a hospital bed. I picked my tray up and threw it as hard as I could across the cafeteria. My teammates were staring at me looking dumbfounded.

"Is everything okay?" Charlie gently questioned, taking the captain role.

"Sure, it's great," I remarked sarcastically, "You heard what happened. My father kicked the shit out of my mom. Everything is perfect."

Right now, I really missed my friends back home; they would understand this better and know how to deal with it. Instead, everyone simply looked at me as if my head was going to spin around. Sighing heavily, I took off for my dorm room badly in need of a cigarette. I grabbed my pack and headed out of the building and stopped when I realized I'd forgotten a lighter.

"Shit!" I screamed at my stupidity.

Not wanting to go back inside and run into the Ducks again, I took off for the nearest gas station and stepped inside looking for a quick light from somebody. A teenage boy asked if I needed one and I graciously accepted it and sat on the curb to smoke. The kid sat next to me and introduced himself as Griffin.

"Zane," I said simply.

"That's cool," he remarked on my name, "You okay, you seem a little stressed."

I just told him I was having a rough day and he put an arm across my shoulders in an attempt to "calm" me. Being raised where I had been, though, I knew never to let some random guy get this close to you, so I pushed him away and told him I was going to get going.

"Oh come on, it's just a little fun," Griffin explained.

"**Just fucking great,' I thought about the situation that was now enfolding in front of me.**

"Listen here, pal, get the hell out of my face," I said toughly; this punk didn't scare me.

"Seriously, back off of her," I heard the oh-so-familiar voice of Dean Portman behind me once again.

Griffin saw Dean's size and took off.

"Thanks," I muttered, "You're really gunna have to stop sneaking up on me. How come you came after me?"

Dean laughed lightly at my joke before telling me he came after me to make sure I was alright. I told him I was fine. Really, I wasn't, but I can handle things fine by myself or with the help of my friends back home. They weren't here, though, and I needed someone. My cigarette was dwindling down and I threw it into the street.

"My father usually doesn't go after her," I said absently, "And I don't know why I just told you that."

"Maybe because you know none of your friends are here to talk about it with?" Dean stated hitting the nail on the head, "You think we all haven't gone through that? Maybe not to your extent but I know where you're coming from."

I kicked at the curb anxiously with my sneaker; this news had me all riled up. My body was shaking in rage and I really wished Griffin had stuck around so I could have taken a few punches at him.

"Is your mom okay?" Dean asked gently.

"I guess, but she doesn't deal with it as good as…" I trailed off not wanting to say too much.

Dean finished it for me by saying 'as you and your brother' and I shrugged, not willing to deny or agree with the statement. On our way back, Dean once again grabbed for my hand and linked it with his. Only this time, I didn't pull back.

'**Maybe developing real friendships around here is what I really need.' I thought.**

**Only friends? Zane, you're a pretty good liar, even when you're lying to yourself.**

**A little bit of a bigger step between Zane and Portman. Right now, Zane needs someone, and Portman seems to be the guy who always has her back. However, she is NOT willing to give away her heart right now. Can Dean change her mind? **

**END OF CHAPTER!**

**Review please Thanks for previous ones.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews on the chapter… sorry it's been so long for an update but I've had so much homework and I've been really sick. Anyway, here we go with**

**CHAPTER 5:**

"Nice job, Zane," Coach Orien screamed from up the ice, "Way to be aggressive!"

This kind of positive feedback was what I had been receiving the past few days of practice. With the news of my mother, there was a new found fire in me and I was taking my anger out on the ice. I had just stolen the puck from Russ and was zipping rapidly down the ice toward Goldberg, who sat poised in the net. Not having a clear shot, I passed the puck to Banks, who put it in easily; if I couldn't have the goal, I'd take the assist. Adam and I joined in a little "hockey hug." You know what I mean, the rough hug and light shoving whenever something goes good in the game. Practice ended with laps and I finished shortly after Luis and hit the locker room to grab a shower and change. The hot water washed the sweat and grime away and I threw on a pair of jeans shorts, flip flops, and a tank-top before plaiting my hair into a long braid.

"We're going to lunch!" Fulton yelled at me as I exited the women's side of the locker rooms, "You down?"

I told him I'd meet them there and walked to the payphone located outside to call my brother. As always, it took him about six rings before picking up; he'd probably been out partying the night before.

"Yeah?" Tyler's gruff voice echoed over the telephone.

Noticing some of my teammates walking over to meet with me, I rushed the conversation.

"How is she??" I spoke quickly.

The conversation was quick, which wasn't what I had wanted, but with Charlie, Guy, and the Bash Brothers approaching fast I didn't really have a choice. Still, Tyler reassured me by telling me that my mother was out of the hospital.

"Goddamnit!" I screamed when he told me that she had gone back to my father.

Tyler explained that he'd kicked the living shit out of our dad the night it had all happened, though, and said he wouldn't be touching her for a while. It still irked me that she put herself through all of this. The guys had reached me by now and I said goodbye to my brother.

"Adios hermana. I miss you," He said and I smiled a little.

"What's god damning? You get in a fight with your boyfriend?" Guy teased.

"No, it was my brother. There was a killer swell all week and I'm pissed I missed it," I stated.

It was a lie, but it was the type of bullshit that rolled easily off of my tongue. Still, I knew some of them didn't believe it. Whatever, they can think what they want.

"Lunch?" I asked, pushing the conversation in a new direction.

The guys nodded vigorously; practice had been long and hard today and we definitely needed to be fed. Picking up my gear, I fell in line with Charlie and our conversation began to flow easily; he really was a good guy. Feeling relieved, I lit up a cigarette and took a long drag. Figuring Charlie didn't want smoke blown into his face, I made sure to exhale to my right.

"How long have you been smoking?" Fulton asked me interestedly.

I thought about it for a second. In Chino, it's not uncommon to experiment with cigarettes, alcohol, and pot when you're in middle school. Shrugging, I realized I couldn't even place when I'd smoked my first cigarette since I had been drunk when I'd first started. All my partying sort of runs together; once you do it with your friends enough all the nights seem the same. This sparked a conversation about smoking with Charlie admitting he'd tried it once and hated it, Fulton saying he did it occasionally when he was drunk, and Portman saying he'd smoked a few times but wasn't a big fan.

"I've never smoked before," Guy admitted shamelessly.

Pulling out my pack again, I offered him one. My eyes looked at him, and I was sort of daring him to do it. Man, I'm just about the best influence ever.

"Why not?" the boy reasoned and lit up.

He sputtered after the first hit but got the hang of things after a couple more. A few minutes later, he tossed the stub on the sidewalk and declared the experience as nothing special.

"Yeah, it's not a good habit to get into," I reasoned, "I've quit a dozen times but can never stick to it."

"Well I'd say it's about time you quit for good," A firm voice said from behind me

I couldn't help but groan when I saw Coach Orien approaching. Dean let out a low whistle and let me know I was in for it. Orien asked for my pack and I eyed him warily.

"No," I stubbornly refused.

Smoking is my only real fix and it keeps me calm. Plus they cost serious money and I wasn't about to waste my hard earned cash.

"Smoking is not tolerated on this team," My coach explained with a slight edge in his voice, "That was made clear in the contract you signed."

"You think a piece of paper means shit to me?" I shot back, growing impatient with the man.

"Back to the rink; I think sprints will do that mouth some good."

Shaking my head in anger, I turned around and made my way back to the ice. Back home, my coach knew not to get involved with my personal life. Because of that, I'd brought him home two championships in the last three years. If this guy thought that just because he was my coach he could run my life, he was horribly mistaken. Besides, sprints are my specialty anyways.

"Go suit up," He instructed me.

Nodding but not meeting Coach's gaze, I ascended to the girl's locker room and got changed. When I'd my way back out, half of the Ducks were there with more on their way most likely; word sure does travel fast around here.

"Because of you, your hungry teammates will have to wait to eat. Twenty minutes of line to line sprints and laps should do it."

"Better make it thirty," I spat throwing my helmet on angrily as I skated onto the ice and waited for the whistle.

When it came, I rocketed to the blue line and back again. This was all a game; my coach was toying with me in front of my teammates and I would not look like a fool. My mouth had gotten me into some trouble and I knew I could get myself out of it. After a few sprints, my muscles were burning; that two hours practice I'd gone through before was taking a toll. Still, I pushed on until Coach threw me a stick and a puck and told me to finish up with laps. The whistle blew once more to signal I was done and Orien motioned me toward him. He took my helmet off and looked me square in the eye.

"I won't take attitude on this team. I don't care where you're from or who you think you are. Is that understood?" He shouted, and I noticed the Ducks' interest perk up.

Knowing I was fighting a losing battle, I took my helmet from his hands and mumbled a weak 'yessir' before skating off the ice. I showered and taped up my wrist which was tired from too much work. When I emerged, my team was waiting for me and a nod from their Coach let them know they were free to go. Some of them were angry, but I could really give a damn right now.

"Thanks newbie," Goldberg muttered as he passed, hitting me lightly with his shoulder.

I lunged at him due to his disrespect but felt strong arms holding me back.

"You wanna get in more trouble?" Luis asked me as he held me tightly until I stopped squirming, "Ignore him, he's just tired and hungry."

Luis could tell that I really didn't want to go to the cafeteria and face my less-than-happy team and suggested that we hit the diner across the street. Charlie and Dean opted to come along; they'd overheard the whole scene and explained that they'd been there before as well.

"I had a D last semester and Coach made them all practice until I got my homework done," Dean reminisced.

Captain Charlie threw an arm across my shoulders and convinced me that it would all blow over by tomorrow.

"It better, we got a scrimmage in a few days and a pissy team won't get us anywhere," I remarked.

The three boys nodded solemnly, but told me they had faith that everyone would be cool about it tomorrow.

"Goldberg acts like he never got laps," Luis continued, "I remember skating extra a few times because of his goofing off in the Games."

Dean nodded and said that everyone had caused trouble for the team once in a while.

"My coach back home would have never pulled that shit," I said after we'd ordered our food from the waitress, "You fight for yourself and come together if you want to. He doesn't force it. By my second year with him, if anyone got in trouble we would stay because we wanted to."

"Sounds like you were about as close as us," Charlie stated and I agreed.

We fooled around during lunch and ate our cheeseburgers and fries hungrily. The bill was paid a few minutes later and we casually walked back to campus. Luis invited us all over to watch a movie, and I readily accepted. Dean approved but Charlie said he had to go call his girlfriend, Linda. I smiled at this; I hadn't known he was taken.

"Lucky girl," I told him as a friendly gesture and Charlie blushed slightly.

"You got a boyfriend back home?" Luis asked as we headed to the boy's dorm rooms.

This caused me to hesitate. Holden and I had been dating off and on since we were twelve. We were best friends and had been through everything together: my father's drunkenness, his mother's death to cancer, and the pitfalls of Chino. Officially, we weren't together, but there was always a spark there that sometimes ignited. It was hard to have a relationship with Holden, though. Knowing everything about someone can make things rough and we'd decided two months ago to stop putting ourselves through the break-ups.

"I'm single," I said finally, "Just got out of through one of those relationships that were on again-off again for a long time."

Luis smiled at this and told me that he loved playing the field with all the fine ladies at Eden Hall. He especially liked when these girls let him drive their nice rides. I rolled my eyes at my suave Latino friend and asked Dean if he was single.

"Portman takes after Luis," Charlie stated with a smirk before escaping into he safety of his room to make his call before Dean could take it to him.

"Another player?" I teased.

Dean shrugged and said he would settle down for the right girl. Luis cooed at this and threw in Wedding Crashers when we entered his room. Exhausted from practice I carelessly laid my head in Luis' lap and he played with my hair while I napped. When I awoke again, Luis and I were both sleeping, his arms lightly draped around me and Dean was nowhere to be found. Shrugging it off, I fell back to sleep with my friend Luis.

**END OF CHAPTER.**

**Well there you go with the end. A little twist here, but you'd be a dope to think Zane would end up with Luis, the heartthrob with a flavor-of-the week. Still, Dean doesn't know this. Reviews please.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, thanks for the review RIP. Here we go with…**

**CHAPTER 6:**

Luis and I had managed to sleep through the entire night without waking up. Much to popular belief, all we did was sleep. The next morning, he had gently nudged me awake and told me we had practice in a few hours. Groaning, I had made my way back to my dorm, where Connie and Julie raised their eyebrows in suspicion and grinned wickedly.

"Nothing happened," I explained, trying to silence these rumors in the cradle.

It hadn't worked, though, and breakfast was abuzz with our "special" night together.

"Fuck off," Luis said, "We just fell asleep watching a movie."

"So that's what they call it nowadays?" Dean challenged and Luis punched him playfully.

I gave Dean a look; he had been there and could have just told the truth: that Luis and I had fallen asleep, but he was being a moron. My muscles were tight from my sprints last night and I took off to skateboard to warm up before practice. It didn't take me long to grab my board and I quickly made my way out onto the dorm stairs. Guy joined me and explained that he liked to skateboard as well. A few other Ducks came out to soak up some morning sunshine and watch us; none of them were crazy enough to burn off their energy before practice. Guy and I were always hyper, though, and knew we could handle practice. I took off my t-shirt to reveal a small tank top; my tan was dying from all these late afternoon practices and I wanted to catch some rays. Man, did I miss surfing right now; it was perfect for loosening up muscles.

"Hey Zane, check it out!" Guy screamed showing me a trick.

We skated passed each other and exchanged high fives. Grabbing each other's shoulders, we started skating down the large hill located on the west side of campus. The other Ducks cheered us on as we "team-skated" down the hill together. Guy and I were both laughing hysterically until, to our horror, a couple of idiot kids started walking in front of us.

"Get out of the way!" I shouted to them, but they were too far away to hear.

As the seconds past, our speed only increased. The children were playing with a ball in the road and were completely oblivious to us. We were screaming, trying to get their attention, as we were going too fast to stop and there were no side roads to turn off on.

"We gotta bail out," Guy remarked with a look of terror on his face.

He counted down and we let go of each other's shoulders and jumped off of our boards, trying to hit the ground running. Neither of us succeeded, and the sound of our bodies being scraped up was enough to make the Ducks start sprinting down the hill. Being the idiots we were, Guy and I had neglected helmets and I felt my head clunk against the asphalt with a sickening sound. When I stopped rolling, I lay flat on my back trying to figure out the damage; Guy and I had only landed a few feet from one another.

"You dead?" He asked jokingly, his voice full of pain.

"Almost," I muttered back.

Shakily, the two of us stood and flinched at each other's bruises. Guy pointed worriedly at my head, which had bloody gash with an egg sized bruise developing on my forehead while I pointed at the blood gushing from his knee.

"Shit," the two of us said in unison.

The Ducks got there moments later, with Connie fawning over Guy and the rest of the team looking at us in shock.

"Well golly!" Dwayne stated, "Are y'all alright?"

The children in the road were looking at us in fright and I screamed at them to stay the hell out of the road before limping after our skateboards. My head was swimming from hitting it and I wondered how the hell I was going to deal with getting checked at practice. The pack waited for me to retrieve the boards, and we began the slow walk to the rink; Guy was using Fulton and Dean as support while Julie held my previously discarded t-shirt to my head. Charlie suggested we go to the infirmary and Guy yelled at him in fury.

"You think Coach is gunna let that slide? We can practice," the boy yelled, slightly scared at the thought of having to explain to Orien that the two of us were injured from fooling around.

I agreed with Guy and said we were just going to have to practice like nothing was wrong. That was easier said then done however. My helmet made my cut throb, while my cuts were itchy and uncomfortable under my padding and uniform. Guy was favoring his left leg a great deal and waved me over to him.

"We gotta act like nothing is wrong," He said solemnly, "We're just scrimmaging today and I already talked to the rest of our line. They're going to feed us easy passes and make us look alright. Jesus, your face is pale, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I can make it. You okay, though? Your knee was messed up."

The next few hours were excruciating. I was used to dealing with injuries from my father and was handling it a little bit better than Guy. Coach noticed our game was slightly off, but we must have been doing alright because he didn't ask us any questions. The sweat was stinging and I had never been more relieved to hear Coach telling us to finish with laps. Adam skated up to my left and subtly supported some of my weight through the laps. Thankfully, it was Friday and Orien was giving us the weekend off to rest and Guy and I could heal.

"Thanks," I whispered.

Adam told me it was no big deal and we finished a few minutes later. Banks instructed me to remove my helmet so he could see the lump that had formed. I grabbed his hand and led him behind the bleachers and took it off. He gasped and gingerly touched it while I flinched and swatted his hand away.

"You should ice that," Adam told me and I said I would.

After I lightly placed my helmet back on, the two of us parted ways and Dean gave us a look as we appeared from behind the bleachers. Banks took no notice to it and simply said hello to the Bash Brother before going into the male locker room, but I walked over and asked him what that was about.

"Nothing," Dean said, shrugging, "How's Adam and Luis?"

A knowing smile was formed on his face and I got a good idea about what he was thinking.

'**This asshole thinks I'm some kind of slut. Luis, Adam, I bet you're getting with everyone on the team.'**

"You're a jerk. You go yourself all wrong. He was looking at this" I told him while removing my helmet again, causing Portman to look at me in guilt.

He stepped up and lightly ran his fingertips down my cheek, "And Luis?"

"Is a friend," I said, "Thanks for wondering if I was alright, Portman."

At this, I stalked off into the girls' locker room while Dean called after me. Connie and Julie noticed my anger and asked me what was wrong.

"Dean Portman is an arrogant son-of-a-bitch," I stated, leaving the subject at that before getting into the shower.

'**If he's such a jerk, why does what he thinks of me bother me so much?'**

Things may have been clear if she could only hear Dean now.

Dean Portman was talking with his best friend Fulton Reed as they walked back to their room to drop off their gear and head to dinner.

"I looked like the world's biggest prick," He announced, "We're not on the same line, I didn't know what happened."

Fulton rolled his eyes and told his friend to just explain it to Zane and ask her out already.

"You know everyone sees it, man," Fulton wisely said, "Mendoza and her are just friends. You were even there and know they accidentally fell asleep together and you didn't even back that story up and then you accuse her of hooking up with half the team. What is she supposed to think?"

Dean kicked a rock furiously, "That I like her obviously."

"That makes no sense, buddy," Fulton countered.

**Seriously, Portman, get a grip.**

**END OF CHAPTER.**

**There ya go, review please… I see a lot of people are reading but not reviewing. I want to know if you like the story, what you wanna read, etc. Let me know!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, sorry it's been so long, but I've been very busy with other things. Here is—**

**CHAPTER 7:**

"Amazing work out there team," Coach told us as we finished up our first scrimmage.

With a 7-0 win I could see why Orion was impressed with us. Two of those goals had been thanks to me, and I felt a few of my teammates clap me on the back. Goldberg was included in this.

"Forgotten your grudge then?" I asked.

The goalie smiled embarrassedly and apologized for his arrogance about having to wait for lunch while I did laps. I shrugged it off; it was over and there was no reason to keep it going. Guy and I had healed well over the couple of days before the scrimmage and we had both played a good game. We shot each other smiles; Orion would never know about our little incident.

"Hit the showers guys," Coach instructed, "and enjoy your weekend off, but…"

"Remember your actions have consequences," we all interrupted and caused Orion to walk away laughing.

Once Coach was out of earshot, Russ immediately asked Charlie if his "connection" was going to be able to pull through and get us some alcohol. Charlie smiled and said that he always came through and that he would be picking up the stuff tonight. Cheers echoed from most of us; it had been a while since we'd been able to kick back and relax since Orion had wanted to ensure that we kicked ass for our first game. We all handed Charlie some money for the stuff before we hit the showers. Leaving my hair wet, I headed back to my dorm room, knowing that I would be straightening later if we were going out. A few players came into the room a little while after me; Julie had suggested a hangout in our room to pass some of the time. Squished in our small quarters were me, Connie, Julie, Guy, Adam,Luis, Dean, and Fulton. Dean and I still have yet to talk about his previous behavior. So far, our words have only included hockey talk out on the ice. The room phone rang and Connie jumped up to answer it, putting it on speaker since the cordless was nowhere to be found.

"Oh hey Holden!" Connie said excitedly and the two emerged in small talk for a few minutes before she left me to it.

Holden called the room a few times a week to talk to me and had gotten to be on friendly terms with both Connie and Julie; we were best friends after all. Connie mentioned that he sounded drunk and I laughed.

"One o'clock in the afternoon over there and you're already wasted, man? You're outta control," I said to my friend.

"Surf's awesome, couldn't resist kicking back a few," Holden said and I knew he had a sheepish grin on his face.

My mind couldn't help but wander to the amazing times I had had with Holden in Chino. All the early morning surf sessions, the late night walks on the beach, and the shaky yet wonderful spark we shared. I missed him. Whether this was as a friend or boyfriend was not yet clear though. The conversation stayed normal for a few minutes with the Ducks listening intently, but it was obvious that Holden was wasted.

"When are we going to get back together, baby? I want you back. Even if you're there, I want you to be my girl," He sputtered out and I stared at the phone in shock.

Holden was sitting at the beach with our friends and I was sitting in the dorm room with mine and everyone was waiting for an answer. On his end, I could hear all of our friends yelling at me to continue my relationship with Holden; they all liked when we were together. My friend Nikki always says we're soul mates.

"Look Hold," I stated, "You're on speaker right now, let me call you back."

"I don't give a damn who hears. Hey Ducks! I am crazy about your new forward," Holden yelled while laughing.

This caused most of the Ducks, with the exception of Fulton and Dean, to burst out laughing. I bit my lip; with Holden being drunk, this conversation would go nowhere. And of course this drunk dial had to occur when half of the team was in the room. Holden continued to tell the Ducks why he loved me and I couldn't help but smile at his boyish charm and the compliments he was giving me. When he started getting too personal, though, I shut him up.

"You are so nuts," I told him with a chuckle.

"Only about you darlin'," He stated.

"I miss you," I said sadly, missing our friendship and relationship all at the same time, "Let me call you back later, okay?"

"Don't be sad. I'm here no matter what, Zane," Holden said, letting our relationship depend on me.

"I know. Love ya," I said before I hung up.

The Ducks all made fun of me once the conversation was over. Luis remarked that it didn't appear that my relationship with Holden was over, like I'd told them. Julie mentioned that she'd never even seen a picture of Holden, and I pointed at one of him and me over on my dresser. We were at the beach, of course, with our friends surfing in the background. His arms were casually draped around me, his blond tresses were blowing slightly in the wind, his blue eyes shone with happiness, and his tanned body was toned from surfing and skateboarding.

"Damn, he's hot!" Julie stated and I grinned.

"Yeah, he'll be a pro-surfer one day too."

I felt uncomfortable talking about my relationship with Holden with my team. Sure, they had just caught the happy-go-lucky and funny side of him, but they'd never seen his other emotions. After losing his mother, Holden gets in these moods and can up-and-leave for days a time. When we were dating, his leaving caused problems between us. It was bad enough being his best friend and trying to deal with his issues, but being his girlfriend too made it harder. He wasn't the only one subject to mood swings, though. My home-life was rough as well. We both put each other under a lot of strain when we were together. This long distance thing would be difficult for us and I couldn't stand to lose him as a friend right now. Guy asked if we were going to get back together and I looked sadly at him.

"Holden will regret what he said later and it will be dropped. We agreed to see other people," I said monotonously, wishing that maybe things would be different.

Putting a brave face on, I joined into the conversation when it was switched to today's scrimmage. Being one of my better friends here, Luis sensed that I was a little hurt by the call and draped an arm over my shoulders and gave me a friendly kiss on the cheek. Dean winked at me when I met his eye and I stared confusedly. He leaned and whispered in my ear.

"Friends again?"

I nodded and smiled.

'**Friends are about all I can deal with right now.'**

Fulton and Dean excused themselves after a few minutes and Fulton stopped his fellow bash brother in the hallway.

"You cool, man?" Fulton asked, "I know you like her so hearing that conversation musta been pretty rough."

Dean nodded, "Looks like I'm just gunna have to wait this Holden thing out."

Fulton smirked, "Yeah, we'll see what you're saying after you've gotten a few drinks in you tonight."

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. I decided to bring Holden back into the picture to show why Zane may be standoffish towards Portman. Reviews please.**


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